Treasure Hunter
by SamNny
Summary: "However, she treasured all of his somehow acquired belongings, despite telling herself that they meant nothing. She was just simply forgetting to return them." SatoRisa


Over the past few years, she's collected many "gifts" from him. Gifts being in quotations because he hadn't actually given her anything. Except his jacket. He had given her that, though it was based on the assumption that she had no idea that it was his, nor was he ever expecting it back. However, she treasured all of his somehow acquired belongings, despite telling herself that they meant nothing. She was just simply forgetting to return them.

It all started with that jacket. His charcoal colored, slim-fitting jacket with the gold emblems. He didn't think she'd know it was his, but he had also failed to notice her presence before his transformation. She was standing outside the tower, her and her twin sister, and they watched him. He stood tall for only a moment before he crumbled to the ground, that sadistic fiend forcing his way out. And she watched him, watched his hand desperately clutch the warm fabric over his chest as he tried so hard to resist. When the events of that day were over, she awoke on a bench far away from the scene, covered tenderly with his now torn jacket. Not only does she still have it, but she's washed it and mended the frayed ends where Krad's wings had ripped through. But she would never dream of stitching up those slits.

But that was nothing more than a kind gesture. He had felt awful for letting Krad toy with her and hurt her the way that he did. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do. To leave her somewhere safe with all the warmth and comfort he could provide was his absolute limit. But it was something to remember, something to hold on to for as long as she could. She had actually waited from him for the longest time to approach her and demand it back. But he never did and that's when she knew that he didn't know that she knew it was his. It made her kind of happy.

The next "gift" that he had unknowingly given to her was his notebook. Once Dark and Krad had been sealed away, both him and Daisuke, and her and Riku, had normal lives to return to. He had still decided to attend school with them, claiming that he "might as well." Truth be told, he really just wanted to experience life as an average teenage boy. Going to school and hanging around Niwa was a good place to start. But when the end of the term came around and it was time for final exams, she was met with the horror of their biology class. She was confident that she would pass all of her other tests with at least a "C," so she didn't really stress out. But that biology test was more than she could handle, her current grade just barely holding at a "D-," and even a "C" on her final wouldn't be enough to save her.

So she did the only logical thing she could think of: push her way through the crowd of fan-girls surrounding his desk and ask him for his notebook. The look of bewilderment on his face was absolutely priceless, but she really had to concentrate. She knew if she asked him to tutor her, she'd just end up feeling stupid and inadequate in comparison. But asking to borrow his notes, seeing as how he was obviously already prepared, was the best alternative. She'd follow along with his train of thought, have all the right answers (and his lovely detailed explanations), and cram every single word he'd written down into her head. And once he got over the shock of her forcefulness and blunt request, he easily surrendered said item.

She studied for days - ate, slept, and breathed biology - and passed her test with flying colors. She still held a "D" as her overall grade, but it was passing, and she was pleased. However, once final exams were over, all thoughts of anything academic related instantly packed up and flew south for summer vacation. In other words, she completely forgot to give it back. And by the time she realized it, she had decided that she didn't want to anyway.

By the time next year came around, he had also forgotten about his notebook, especially since he no longer needed it, and he continued to live as if nothing had ever happened. She had done the same up until that point, but it was his next "gift" that made her extremely aware of just what it was that she was doing.

It hadn't happened at school, though it was the new school year, and she was extremely thankful that none of their classmates were around. Partially because their teasing would be relentless and also because she did _not _need his fan-girls badgering her and potentially ganging up on her. Despite all of her previous Phantom Thief training, she doubted even with skills equal to Mr. Dark himself, that she could counter every attack from his massive fan-club. It had grown since middle school, nearly tripled in size, and vicious, boy-crazy high school girls were a whole new kind of threat.

However, their chance encounter was on a rainy Saturday evening at the train station. The sky had been pouring buckets of cold liquid since early that morning, being accompanied by booming thunder and quick lightning that afternoon. She had been on a "runaway" mission, eagerly trying to escape her household, if only for the day. She had fought with both her mother and father, effortlessly managing to send their tempers sky high. Rather than scampering off to her room, or seeking out her elder sister, she screamed some nonsense back at them and bolted out the front door. With no direction and no real purpose (and no umbrella), she somehow wound up at the train station. Seeing the irony in her situation, she plopped down on a bench and watched the trains come and go.

The kicker was that just as she was getting ready to break out her wallet and actually purchase a ticket of her own (a decision she would surely regret), a familiar mop of blue hair entered her sights. He was getting off of the last train, some luggage in tow, and he was weaving in and out of the bustling crowd of people. He stopped, though, when his eyes met hers. He would recognize her anywhere, those dirt-stained irises still burned into the back of his mind. They were soft right now, he noticed, but also very worn and sad. The new and more social him decided to work his way towards her.

"Are you alright, Miss Harada?" he said as warmly as he could. Comforting others was a skill he still lacked, despite Krad's year-long absence. But his eyes showed genuine concern and he didn't try and mask it, so she supposed he was doing the best he could. She searched desperately for words to say, an answer to give him, but his sudden warm hand on her unknowingly cold shoulder, sent a shiver down her spine. At least, that's how she chooses to describe it. But he also noticed the freezing temperature of her still dampened body and he stood up swiftly and removed his jacket. Placing it over her shoulders, she giggled at his actions, wondering if this would be another article of clothing of his that she would get to keep.

But it was not, for he also pulled out his cell phone, and made an attempt to call Niwa. When he didn't answer, he politely asked for her sister's number. However, she refused to give it to him, telling him that they were together today and she would not answer him either. Growling in agitation, he did the only gentlemanly thing he could think of: call a cab for the two of them. She was surprised at him, not only for the level of care he was giving her, but also for his boldness in making decisions without her consent. She was about to buy a train ticket, but he squashed that idea altogether. But she stood up in a huff, cheeks pink from both embarrassment and mock-anger. She scolded him for making plans for her. He smiled and told her to sit back down.

Then, on their not-so awkward cab ride back to her mansion, he handed her a slip of paper. She took it, along with the pen he had used to write with, and she swallowed her pride and said "thank you" as he left. She ran directly to the front door, swung it open, and flew up the stairs before anyone could say anything about it. Once she made it to the safety of her room, she finally took a peek at his little note. He had scribbled his name and his cell phone number on it, the words "call me if you need anything" written underneath. She clutched his pen in her right hand as her heart began to pound wildly against her chest. Maybe he had changed more than she had originally thought.

It was after that day that she scrounged up the biggest shoe box she could find. His jacket would remain on a hanger at the back of her closet (she didn't even want Riku to know she still had it), while his notebook, his note, and more importantly, his pen, were placed inside the box. She then carefully placed the lid back on it and shoved it under her bed. Just as Riku had her old treasure box on the top shelf in her closet, she finally had one of her own under her bed. It was now a task, a brand new mission, to see how many things she could get from him to put into that box.

So over these past few years, she's been patiently waiting, seizing every opportunity, and taking what (really didn't) belong to her. And at first, the bluenette hadn't a clue. He didn't notice the little things, such as his eraser or even his winter gloves, go missing. He just assumed they were misplaced. But then it became more serious. Then it was his paint brush, the scarf he was given last Christmas, and his wallet (temporarily). He knew that something was up, but he just couldn't place it. Who this culprit could be, he had no idea. He blamed his own dumb-luck, his fan-club, even Niwa at one point, but it just wasn't adding up. These weren't things that were disappearing behind his back. Everything was being taken from him right before his very eyes and he was somehow failing to notice until it was too late.

Until now. Up until now, it was all somehow done subtly. He had only vaguely pieced together the idea that it could be who he was thinking of. But while he spent their lunch break trying to rationalize what motives she could have for taking his stuff, she blindsided him. She had decided that she had enough small trinkets - she needed the ultimate prize. She walked right up to him and before he could even say "hello" she snatched them and took off. She was like a child that had taken a cookie without permission and shoved the whole thing in her mouth to hide the evidence. But her actions only confirmed his suspicions for reasons still unknown.

But she couldn't get away and part of her knew that. He had spent a good chunk of middle school chasing around the infamous Dark Mousy for crying out loud. Catching up to a non-athletic girl like her would be easy. He cornered her in an empty hallway a few stories up. She was out of breath, but knew all too well that she had nowhere left to run. While still panting, she turned to face him, again taking joy in the expression on his face. His eyes were narrowed like she was a culprit (a bad one), but the rest of him was astonished. His mix of emotions said "how dare you" and "why?" at the same time. She giggled.

"Miss Harada, what is the meaning of this?" he said trying to sound calm and in control. Her heart beat a little faster as time passed. She hadn't realized the full extent of the consequences to her actions. He was going to take back what was his, no matter how much she wanted to keep them. But the moment she thought that, she had to wonder: why did she want them so badly? Why had she hoarded everything she'd ever found/gotten/taken from him? He was her classmate. She'd even call him a friend. A pretty good friend, actually. But here he was, whatever he was, with his hand extended outwards, saying, "Give them back, please."

But she couldn't, not yet! Clutching the fragile object in her hands, she frantically looked between them and him. Despite questioning herself, she still couldn't surrender. Her heart beat faster and faster, louder and louder, and it was all too much for her to take. "You don't even need them!" she spat, as if pointing out the obvious would steer him away. But even after he was free, he still chose to wear them. It was just far too natural. Making a 'tsk' sound, he backed away, already subconsciously reaching up to the bridge of his nose despite seeing the very object he was reaching for in her hands. He gave her a quizzical stare, still baffled by her actions.

And in some supposed act of defiance, she unfolded the spectacles in her hands and placed them on her face, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear in the process. With her hands now free, she placed them on her hips, and began to slowly march towards him. And all the while - from the moment his glasses were on her - his face turned thirty shades of red and counting. His own heart, that up until now had only had minor spasms around the younger twin over the years, felt like a heavy pounding drum doing a solo. She was just so... so... so _cute _with them on. What on Earth was the meaning of all this?

"You've never needed these, so what's the point in keeping them? You should be ashamed of yourself, hiding those pretty blue eyes behind these big old-" and she stopped there. Said pretty blue eyes were shaking, along with the rest of his body. She was complimenting him. More than that, she said that he had attractive eyes. And now he watched her, her own face changing color, as her eyes darted to the floor, she wrapped one leg around the other, and fidgeted with her hands. Her standard pink ribbon had loosened all the while, and when she took a step back, her hair spilled all around her. And he moved quickly, faster than she'd ever seen him. Their chests almost touched and his face was close to hers, but his eyes were locked on his hand - the one that now held her falling ribbon.

"If you're going to keep those," he started, somehow finding his coolness again in the process, "then I'm going to keep this. You have some other things that belong to me, but... we'll just call this even." He smirked at her, taking just a tiny step forward to brush against her before he backed away. He turned on his heels and shoved his hands - and the ribbon - in his pockets as he walked away. And had she not almost literally turned into a pile of mush, she would have noticed the stagger and unsteadiness of his stride. For even he, _the _Satoshi Hiwatari, could not keep all of his composure around a girl as beautiful (and one who smells as divinely) as Risa Harada.

But aside from being immobile, un-thoughtful, and probably looking incredibly stupid, well... at least she got to keep his glasses.

* * *

"A/N: Yeah. :)"


End file.
